Rick Adelman, one of the most understated coaches in the history of the NBA, became the eighth member of the league's 1,000-win club on Saturday night when his Minnesota Timberwolves downed the Detroit Pistons 107-101.

In doing so, he joins an elite group that is headed by Don Nelson (1,335) and also includes Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, George Karl and Larry Brown.

Adelman's wife Mary Kay, his partner of four decades, the mother of his six children and the center of his universe, waited sheepishly at the corner of the court. Still head over heels for each other all these years later, the couple embraced. He kissed her once, twice, three times. An unforgettable moment in a painfully disappointing season that most agree can't end soon enough.

There were impressive performances on the court to make it happen, but what everyone will remember more than anything else was that moment for a coach who missed 11 games earlier this season to be with Mary Kay while she was treated for seizures.

"She had to be part of it," Rick Adelman said. "I told her I was going to bring her down. She wasn't very happy about that. She's been there all these years. When you go through a job like this and situations and you move and you raise six kids and everything else, if it wasn't for her I never could have done it. That's why I'm really glad to do it here."

Jackson has the best winning percentage among those coaches from his time winning a league-record 11 championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers (.704) while Adelman's mark (.587) is the fifth best. Among current coaches, San Antonio's Gregg Popovich (903-419) is next in line to reach the 1,000-win mark. No other coach is anywhere close, as Boston's Doc Rivers is a distant third in wins with a 585-469 record.

While Adelman's Timberwolves teams have been ravaged by injuries in his two seasons in Minnesota in which they have gone a combined 55-87, he had much better times while heading the Portland Trail Blazers from 1988 to 1994 (NBA Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992) and the Sacramento Kings from 1998 to 2006 (eight consecutive playoff appearances, Western Conference Finals appearance in 2002).

He went 193-135 with the Houston Rockets from 2007 to 2011, but his championship hopes were dashed when Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming suffered debilitating injuries (Yao, specifically, played in 137 of 328 regular-season games under Adelman before retiring in the summer of 2011).

Adelman missed 11 games this season to tend to his wife, Mary Kay, after she suffered from seizures. In a recent interview with USA TODAY Sports, he said "I've never had a year like this," and indicated that he's unsure if he will return next season or if he will retire to be with his wife and family.

Against Detroit Saturday, Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and J.J. Barea scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who surrounded their 66-year-old coach when the buzzer sounded. A brief video tribute was played, and a 29-47 season suddenly felt like a playoff run.

"He deserves it," Ricky Rubio said. "What he did this season, it's amazing. He stayed with the team. He had some issues, but he gets through those issues and still gets with us. That means a lot. I admire that. I want to say thank you for everything he did for us, staying with us in tough moments. Even when, for him, it was even tougher. That's leadership. He shows us how to do it."

Brandon Knight scored 25 points and Rodney Stuckey had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost 18 of their last 21 games. They turned the ball over a season-high 24 times, leading to 25 points for Minnesota.

"It's phenomenal, unbelievable," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said of Adelman's achievement. "I'll say it for the millionth time, he's one of the most underrated coaches in this game. He's a phenomenal teacher. For him to do it at every single stop with the consistency he's done, he's a tremendous, tremendous, tremendous coach."

The Wolves started the season with playoff aspirations, but a litany of injuries — and Adelman's absence in January to tend to Mary Kay — helped bring that crashing down. He has said he will make a decision on returning next season when he determines how his wife is doing. Her condition has stabilized, but doctors are still trying to find the right combinations of medication.

She wouldn't have been able to make the trip out west that begins on Tuesday, so there was a big sense of urgency to get this one.

"It was extremely special, especially because she was here," Wolves assistant David Adelman said. "She deserved to be there. Going on the road, it's just different. It's cool to do it here."